CDAO Melbourne schedule

• Translating strategy into execution
• Enterprise-wide value realisation
• Balancing governance and agility
• Enabling change through people and culture
• Building a culture of value with AI and Data Products

• AI vs. Governance: How can CDAOs drive AI innovation while ensuring ethical and regulatory compliance?
• Modernisation vs. Legacy: How can data leaders upgrade infrastructure without disrupting operations?
• Talent & Skills Gap: How do you attract, retain, and upskill teams in a rapidly evolving landscape?

Speakers:

David Evans Director of Data & Analytics WorkSafe Victoria

Dhivian Govender Head of Data and Analytics Slater and Gordon Lawyers

Catherine Arnold Chief of Data Services SEEK

Tonya Higgins Head of Data and Insights Beyond Blue

• Exploring how AI and data democratisation are reshaping business operations by enabling real-time insights and enhancing operational efficiency
• Discussing how enterprises can measure the return on investment (ROI) from AI initiatives in conjunction with data democratisation efforts
• Examining the ethical implications of leveraging AI within a democratised data framework

Speakers:

Ben Pattison CDAO Flight Centre Travel Group

Ian Jackman General Manager Data and Analytics Bendigo and Adelaide Bank

Dr David Black GM Data & Analytics Scentre Group

Mark (Sarge) Sergeant Head of Technology - Data Platforms Latitude Financial Services

Discover how agentic AI and a unified semantic layer accelerate trusted and governed insights for agile decision-making, moving beyond legacy BI limitations. Gain insights from Strategy as they showcase their game-changer data management solution, sharing real-world strategies for achieving faster, smarter decisions with substantial business impact, all while ensuring control and trust. Discover Strategy's bold vision for future-proofing your governed analytics strategy.

• Why do so many data catalogs fail to gain adoption, and how can aligning them with real user workflows change that?
• What does it take to embed metadata into daily decision-making in a way that feels natural and valuable?
• How are successful organisations treating data catalogs as products, and what impact does that have on usage?

Reserved – Speaker to Be Announced Shortly

As enterprises accelerate their AI journeys, the conversation must shift from experimentation and readiness to architecting scalable, responsible AI ecosystems that drive real business transformation. This session explores how organisations can evolve into cognitive enterprises—entities that embed intelligence across workflows, decisions, and customer experiences—while ensuring that AI is ethical, transparent, and trustworthy.

AI can elevate your organisation to the next level of data intelligence, but research shows that only 4% of organisations believe their data is AI-ready. To ensure AI results you can trust, you need accurate, good quality data underpinning it. In this presentation, we’ll explore:

• The impacts of delivering data that is not AI-ready
• The essential data governance & quality considerations that will set you up for AI-success
• Practical solutions to common AI challenges such as AI bias, and lack of contextual relevance

• From insights to strategy – how organisations can translate data insights into actionable business strategies that drive revenue generation
• Developing clear action plans that outline specific steps for implementing insights into revenue-generating activities
• Monitoring impact and adjusting tactics based on performance metrics

This session delves into the delicate balance between driving innovation and ensuring robust governance within a data strategy. We’ll discuss how CDAOs can effectively allocate resources to foster innovation while maintaining strong governance and security practices.

How can you craft a data strategy that embraces technological advancements without compromising compliance, security, or operational integrity?

Key Discussion Points:

• The competing demands of innovation and governance: Challenges and benefits
• Practical strategies for prioritizing resources across both innovation and governance
• Defining the optimal balance: What does success look like, and how can it future-proof the organisation?

• From Pilot to Performance — how top tech leaders are delivering enterprise-ready AI agents that drive measurable business outcomes  
• Blueprints for Scale — how to embed resilient agentic architecture without disrupting existing infrastructure
• Governance in Motion — how to stay in control as AI agents grow more autonomous
• Scaling with Sanity — maximise AI impact without blowing budgets, compromising compliance, or introducing tech debt 

• Build the foundations: Strong AI governance
• Start small think big: Building iterative outcomes that enable strategic use cases
• Paths to production: Examples of buy and build use cases to enable delivery at scale

Agentic AI is not just a technical innovation—it’s a strategic one. Join Ketan Karkhanis, CEO of ThoughtSpot, to explore how enterprise leaders can align their agentic capabilities with strategic goals, ensuring that AI systems deliver measurable business outcomes.

• How can organisations shift from reactive data quality fixes to a proactive data trust strategy?
• The role of leadership in embedding data quality into enterprise culture
• Case studies of companies that improved decision-making through better data quality

• Move from AI pilots to business value: what works for real adoption and impact
• Lead with data: the essentials of modern, AI-powered leadership
• Build trust: keys to responsible, governed, and ethical AI at scale

Speakers:

Naresh Teckchandani CIO Forever New

Sundar Ramaswamy Head – AI & Analytics CoE Happiest Minds Technologies 

Speakers:

Marc Ashworth General Manager Data Science & Data Product Engineering nbn Australia

Asmita Deshpande EM Data Product & Data Governance Expert nbn Australia

• Transforming the data products journey with AI Agents
• How AI Agents enable a new approach to data products engineering
• Broader opportunities for AI Agents in technology
• Positive disruption and its impact on data engineering across the industry

CDAOs and CIOs face increasing pressure to deliver secure, scalable, and AI-ready data environments. AI applications require a strategic overhaul of data management, governance, and infrastructure - but many initiatives stall due to fragmented or unstructured data.

This session will explore how data leaders can establish trusted, high-quality data pipelines to support AI-driven initiatives. Learn how marketplaces and advanced data quality frameworks are helping organisations govern, scale, and future-proof AI programs while ensuring compliance and security.

Bharath Vasudevan, VP GTM at Quest will highlight approaches on how to: 

• Get your data house in order – building an enterprise-wide AI data strategy
• Understand data movement and observability – strengthening governance, compliance and operational visibility
• Scale AI Programs – leveraging classification, marketplaces, and augmented data quality for AI success

Join this session for actionable insights and strategies to unlock the full potential of AI in your organisation while maintaining trust, compliance, and scalability.

• What is truly new to data & analytics today?
• How do you envision and deliver robust governance frameworks for successful adoption of new data-driven technologies while ensuring ethical and responsible use of these technologies?
• Upskilling employees so they are equipped with the skills to engage with the technology, while maintaining transparency and accountability through effective governance practices.
• Examining the comprehensive costs of evolving data landscapes, including talent acquisition and retention, technology infrastructure, data quality and availability, and ethical considerations
• Is new technology creating as many challenges as it’s solving?

Moderator:

Nader Chmait Head of Data & Analytics New Aim

Panellists:

Greg Turner GM Data & Analytics Resolution Life

Rakesh Kalyankar Head of Data Services AustralianSuper

Christian Biggs Director, Data Analytics and Transformation The University of Melbourne

Benedict Chiu Director, Services Australian Research Data Commons 

• Can you ensure that democratisation efforts do not compromise privacy or lead to biased outcomes?
• Does AI facilitate or hinder data access and analysis?
• Showcasing successful implementations of ethical data democratisation that highlight best practices and lessons learned

• Building a Strong Foundation: Establishing key pillars like data quality, governance, and interconnected ecosystems to craft scalable, high-impact data strategies
• Addressing the complexities of fragmented, outdated systems while integrating diverse data sources to drive transparency and unlock new value
• Exploring how generative AI and advanced analytics can enhance traditional approaches, delivering both operational efficiency and strategic growth opportunities

Speakers:

Tracy Moore General Manager of AI & Data MYOB

Xavier Varalda General Manager Data, Analytics & Data Governance Sigma Healthcare

Sveta Freidman Global GM, Data & Analytics /VP of Data & Analytics Xero

Bismi Palatty Manager, Data Platforms and Integrations Alfred Health

Raja Koushik Data Migration and Governance Manager Kinetic Group 

• Finding the right literacy strategy for your company
• Devising a literacy plan for the next two years
• Maintenance and upkeep: Keeping the organisation up to date with trends, changes and new ideas

Speakers:

Mark Gu Group Manager Advanced Analytics St John of God Health Care

Peta Stevenson Group Head of Data and Analytics Cbus Super Fund

Nader Chmait Head of Data & Analytics New Aim

Katie Bayley Head of Insights & Analytics City of Melbourne

Melroy Vanlangenberg Head of Data Governance Australian Unity 

• Is Generative AI really revolutionising data and analytics, driving business innovation and value?
• What are the key trends and forces shaping the integration of Generative AI into business processes
• Learn practical strategies for adapting data practices to support effective AI system development
• Discover actionable insights for redesigning business models and strategies to fully leverage AI capabilities

• What is cross shop?
• Implementation and measuring cross shop
• How they can be implemented in a physical retail format and online
• Informative ways to measure performance for key stakeholders
• Value to the business

• What’s one “unsexy” data trend that you think will quietly dominate in 2025 - and no one is paying enough attention to yet?
• If you had to kill one overused data buzzword or practice before the year ends, what would it be, and what should replace it?
• If you were placing a bold bet on where data is headed in 2025 — technology, talent, AI, governance, anything — what would you bet on, and what do you think would make it succeed or flop?
• What's your most unpopular opinion about where data, AI, or governance is headed — and why do you stand by it?

Speakers:

Ana Roy Head of Merchandise Analytics Kmart

Raja Koushik Data Migration and Governance Manager Kinetic Group

Navin Vishwanath Head of Data Management NAB